Resistive flex sensors: a survey

摘要

Resistive flex sensors can be used to measure bending or flexing with relatively little effort and a
\nrelativelylow budget. Their lightness, compactness, robustness, measurement effectiveness and
\nlow power consumption make these sensors useful for manifold applications in diverse fields.
\nHere, we provide a comprehensive survey of resistive flex sensors, taking into account their
\nworking principles, manufacturing aspects, electrical characteristics and equivalent models,
\nuseful front-end conditioning circuitry, and physic-bio-chemical aspects. Particular effort is
\ndevoted to reporting on and analyzing several applications of resistive flex sensors, related to the
\nmeasurement of body position and motion, and to the implementation of artificial devices. In
\nrelation to the human body, we consider the utilization of resistive flex sensors for the
\nmeasurement of physical activity and for the development of interaction/interface devices driven
\nby human gestures. Concerning artificial devices, we deal with applications related to the
\nautomotive field, robots, orthosis and prosthesis, musical instruments and measuring tools. The
\npresented literature is collected from different sources, including bibliographic databases,
\ncompany press releases, patents, master’s theses and PhD theses.